From the President, Travis Holmlund

Classic Design Homes photos by Wandering Albatross Photography

With that being said, I am seeing a continued effort to help grow and move the building industry forward in a positive manner. One direction is to help minimize the “red tape,” which holds back future growth and snuffs out the realities for many families hoping to find attainable housing. The IWUIC (International

Wildlife-Urban Interface Code) is a financial and logistical impact on the building industry, specifically impacting certain class codes. The questions of the hour are what class code applies to my operation(s), what do these class codes entail, and how will they be carried out?

Believe me, we are trying to figure out the impacts ourselves. Luckily, we have a wonderful new executive officer (EO), Cory Shaw. Cory has been on top of every aspect and/or concern we are trying to confront. Previous years have shown a disconnect in the information chain among local, state, and national associates. Cory has been diligently trying to remedy this disconnect by working on a smoother carry and impact chain. I would also like to express my appreciation to the past president, Allen Ream, for finding such a great replacement for our EO in the pool of candidates that we had to choose from.

There is a legislative session on the horizon, and it is going to be a busy one, by the sounds of it. I know that Cory is going to be incredibly involved in the process and is going to keep all of us engaged and, hopefully, if she needs some of us to help her along the way, we will be there for her. There is more strength in numbers when these legislative issues come up. Cory will be up on the hill quite often fighting for us and our way of life. I know from my standpoint that I am incredibly happy to have Cory and the rest of the MBIA board on our side to help with issues that will surely confront us soon.

I also want to express how important it is to try and get more people involved with the association at all levels.

I am very thankful and humbled to be your president and hope to help as much as I can.

Sincerely, TRAVIS HOLMLUND, MBIA PRESIDENT